Whispers of a Coup

By

Barry Wain

Updated Feb. 11, 2000 12:16 a.m. ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Relax, the Indonesian military isn't about to stage a coup -- at least not anytime soon, and certainly not over President Abdurrahman Wahid's running dispute with former commander in chief of the armed forces, Gen. Wiranto. Despite weeks of intense speculation, it was never a serious prospect. Rumors of a military takeover gained credence because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what is at stake.